Bulger's love of killing
For more than 25 years, the Boston neighborhood known as Southie was ruled by mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. At his right hand sat his most trusted lieutenant and enforcer, Kevin Weeks, who spent nearly every day with the crime boss.
In 2006, Weeks sat down with "60 Minutes'" Ed Bradley to talk about his former mentor. Weeks described Bulger as a "disciplined" man, who dedicated his waking hours to the pursuit of crime. He didn't enjoy alcohol, drugs, or gambling.
According to Weeks, Bulger found enjoyment and "stress relief" in the act of killing:
Kevin Weeks: He stabbed people, he beat people with bats, he shot people, strangled people, run them over with cars.
Ed Bradley: You said also that he liked killing?
Kevin Weeks: Yeah.
Ed Bradley: Explain that to me.
Kevin Weeks: After he would kill somebody, he'd-- it was like a stress relief, you know? He'd be nice and calm for a couple of weeks afterwards, like he just got rid of all his stress.
In this classic "60 Minutes" piece, Weeks also told Bradley how he reacted to the news that Bulger was an FBI informant, as well as his own decision to cooperate with authorities. In 2000, Weeks led police to the bodies of Bulger's alleged murder victims around Boston.
Weeks gave a similarly macabre tour, off-camera, for the "60 Minutes" team back in 2006. Producer Graham Messick recalls, "I remember driving with Ed [Bradley] and Weeks around South Boston, and Weeks was showing us all his greatest "hits." These were places where his gang killed people, whacked people, and buried the bodies. He'd be like, 'This is where Jimmy's body is buried, that's where so-and-so got the hatchet...'"
"At one point, I remember being on a bridge, looking over at Ed, and the look on his face was like, 'What are we doing in a car with this maniac?'"
Weeks claimed to be in touch with Bulger over the years. He told "60 Minutes" he had no problem meeting up with the fugitive whenever Bulger's cryptic instructions arrived. Weeks said that on several occasions Bulger instructed him to meet him at "the lions," which referred to the statues just outside New York's Public Library. Each time, Bulger and his longtime girlfriend looked healthy and relaxed, like a couple of elderly tourists traveling through the big city. One time, in 1996, Bulger actually asked a policeman for directions to a nearby restaurant. Weeks says Bulger told him, "The best place to get lost is a big city. You don't stand out there."